Sleeping with a Friend
by ames86
Summary: "And why mess up a good thing baby? It's a risk to even fall in love. So when you give that look to me I better look back carefully. 'Cause this is trouble...Yeah, this is trouble."
1. Chapter 1

So, I know this isn't the story I'm supposed to be working on. I promise I'll post a chapter of 'If You Ever Want To Be in Love' soon! This idea was inspired by two things: 1) The netflix show 'Friends from College' and 2) The title of this story, which is based on Neon Tree's "Sleeping with a Friend." I was somewhat intrigued by the idea of the storyline and I just typed this out. Let me know what you all think. There are probably just a couple of chapters here, but I wanted to test this out with you all before I continued. Thanks!

Rachel waited at the restaurant patiently for him to arrive. She was in Chicago - part of a national tour for the newest broadway show. He was here on business and made sure she was the first person who knew.

She saw him rush through the doors, talking to the hostess at the front, all the while scanning the room for her. God, he was just as cute as she remembered.

She waved the moment they caught eyes and a familiar smile crossed his lips, as he let the hostess know he found who he was looking for.

He walked over to the table as she stood up from her seat to greet him. He pulled her into his arms tightly, lifting her slightly off the ground. His tall stature usually left her off her feet whenever they hugged.

"Rach! It's so good to see you." He smiled, pulling away slightly to look at her.

Knowing they knew no one else here in this city, he lowered his head to hers, capturing her lips in a soft kiss.

"Finn." She smiled against his lips. "You're late." She held on to him a little tighter, the smell of his cologne bringing back a sense of familiarity.

"I know, I'm so sorry! The last meeting went a little over time. I rushed over here though as soon as I was done." He said, glancing towards the table, seeing her half-filled glass of white wine.

"I see you started out with me, though." He smirked, letting go of her. "Couldn't wait just 10 minutes, Rach?"

"Just a glass of wine!" She said as they sat down in their respective seats.

He gave her a wink before looking around for the waitress. Once he caught her attention, he ordered himself a beer.

"You look good, Rach. Can't believe I haven't seen you since Christmas." He said, eyes gazing over her face, taking her in.

"It's only been like 3 months." She smiled. But it felt like a lifetime.

"3 months without Rachel Berry is a lifetime." He grinned. She caught his eye and smiled - it was unfair just how in sync they were with each other.

"How long are you in Chicago?" She asked him.

"Technically, I'm just here for the night. I'm supposed to fly back to New York tomorrow morning." Finn said.

"That's like no time at all!" She exclaimed.

"I know." He made a face. "But we'll make the most of it, we always do."

She stared at him, moving her leg under the table to brush against his. He glanced at her just as the waitress showed up with his beer.

"I'm sorry, could we get the check, please?" Finn said to her, all the while keeping his eyes on Rachel.

* * *

They stumbled into his hotel room which was not too far away from the restaurant - heading straight to the bed, lips glued together and hands roaming each other's body.

Soon they were both undressed, easily getting into the rhythm of their bodies moving together with Finn deep inside of her.

"God, I missed you." He said, once she was laying comfortably in his arms afterwards.

"Hmm..." She said, smiling into his chest, indulging him to tell her more - like he always did every time it's been awhile since they've seen each other.

"I missed your cute little face, and your cute little laugh, and the way you just fit into my arms so perfectly." He said, playing with the ends of her hair.

Her smile widened and she leaned up to kiss him, but was blocked by his hand over her mouth.

"No kiss until you tell me you missed me too." He smirked.

She stuck out her tongue on his hand, which he quickly moved away after feeling the wetness, causing her to burst out in laughter.

"So gross." He teased.

"That's what you get." She teased back, which he didn't take too lightly.

He soon attacked her sides with his fingers, knowing she was extremely ticklish.

"Finn!" She squealed, playfully fighting him off.

He finally stopped when she declared she was going to pee herself, but he had her hands pin above her head, his body pressing into hers. "Kiss first." He said, as she leaned up to give him a sweet kiss before he got off her.

They spent the night in a mix of making love, talking about what they've missed in the last few months, and getting room service since they were both pretty hungry.

No one spoke of the elephant in the room. If they were being honest, it clouded both of their minds most of all.

"So when next am I gonna see your face again?" He asked the next morning, as he was just about to get ready to head to the airport.

She sat on the bed, pouting, not answering him.

"Rach?" He turned to her, seeing her sitting on the bed. "What's wrong?"

"You just got here...I don't want you to go." She sighed.

He felt the strings pull on his heart because he too knew leaving wasn't easy.

"It's lonely here. I don't know anyone outside of the people in my show. Puck and Quinn visited me like two weeks ago for a weekend. Now you're here for just a day." She continued.

He sat down on the bed next to her. "I know it's lonely. But - you're doing the best possible thing you could ever do! This broadway show is everything you've wanted. Soon, you'll be done here and hopefully move on to a warmer place." He said, which at least got her to laugh.

"Seriously Rach, Winter in Chicago? This place is frigid." He continued.

"I just miss you guys, that's all."

Finn contemplated something to himself before turning his gaze to her.

"It sucks that my flight got cancelled today, huh?" He asked.

"What?" She turned her face up in confusion. Wasn't he just about to be on his way to the airport?

"Yeah, looks like the earliest available flight is on Sunday morning." He said with a smile, waiting for her to catch on.

"Are you staying the weekend with me, Finn Hudson?" She asked, the lightbulb finally going off in her head.

"If you'll have me." He said, moving some strands of hair away from her face.

She lit up, already planning things they can do...both indoor and outdoor. "You can come to my show tonight!"

"I wouldn't miss it." He smiled, leaning in to her, pressing a soft, gentle and lingering kiss on her lips.

"Let me uh, just call my assistant..." he said, getting up to reach his phone.

Rachel watched after him, smiling to herself. She listened as he asked her to change his flight from this morning to Sunday morning due to an unexpected meeting.

This was going to be the best weekend ever.

* * *

Finn was just leaving the gym when his phone rang. He smiled seeing the familiar face of his mohawk-ed best friend. Sure, Puck didn't have the Mohawk anymore but it was Finn's favorite photo of him.

"Dude! What's up?" Finn answered.

"You better get ready, Hudson. I'm coming up there for a week! Better clear your schedule." He said.

"No way! When? Just you or Q too?" Finn asked.

"Q and Sam. Figured we should be in town for Rachel's first show in New York ya know?"

"Yeah, totally!" Finn said, then paused. "Wait, what?"

"You seriously don't know? I thought you'd be the first one she told. She's in New York for the summer, dude. Her show moved from Chicago to New York. It's like a national tour or some shit." Puck said.

"Oh...no. I spoke to her like a few weeks ago but she didn't mention anything about New York..." Finn said, excluding the fact that they actually spoke in person. He smiled a little, thinking back to their weekend.

"We found out like 3 days ago. Then we said, fuck it! Let's go to New York and get the gang back together." Puck said, enthusiasm all over his voice.

Finn nodded, but then realized he was on the phone. "Yeah, sounds great. Text me the dates you're coming...I'll take some days off."

"Sweet! Can't wait to meet that girlfriend of yours. What is it, like a year now? That's gotta be your longest streak ever, Hudson."

"Haha...yeah, just about a year. You'll like her." Finn said.

"What's her name again?" Puck asked.

"Uh, it's Lynn." Finn said.

"Shut the fuck up." Puck said, before bursting out in laughter. "Babe - Finn is dating a girl named Lynn. Their fucking couple name is Flynn!" He yelled out, to what Finn presumed to be Quinn.

"Are you done yet?" Finn said, once the laughter on this other end died down.

"Not even close, bro." Puck told him. They spoke for a few more minutes making plans for the big city before they hung up.

As soon as Finn got off the phone with Puck, he called Rachel's phone.

"Hello?" she answered after a few rings.

"Rach, what the hell. Are you in New York?" he asked.

"Hello to you too, Finn!" she laughed a little. "Um, yeah. I just got in last night."

"Uhh were you even gonna tell me you were here? I just found out from Puck out of all people!" He said.

"I was going to call you once I was settled! I just figured maybe you were busy." She responded.

"How long are you in town for?" he asked.

"Well it depends on the show and how well it does...right now it's about 3 months." she said.

"Well...we need to talk, don't you think?" he asked.

"Yes...and we will. I've got rehearsals all week to prep for the show. Our friends will be in town soon, and I promise we'll talk." she responded.

Finn sighed. "Alright. Well call or text me if you need anything."

They hung up the phone and Finn felt a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach. Three months with Rachel in town? And she didn't even call and let him know she was here?

* * *

"Tell me again who these people are?" Lynn asked her boyfriend. They were packed in a crowded train, on the way to meet up with Puck, Quinn, Sam and Rachel.

"Babe, I told you - they've been my best friends forever. We went to school together." Finn told her.

"I just think that I've never even heard of these people before, and you are just so eager to meet them." She responded.

"I haven't seen them since I went back home for Christmas, I miss them!" He said, leaving out the fact he saw Rachel recently in Chicago.

"I guess..." she responded.

"Plus, they're excited to meet you, too." Finn smiled at her. She forced a smile.

"It'll be fun, babe." Finn said to her. She wasn't the most social person, but there was something about her Finn liked. He was nearly 30 now - he needed to start thinking a little more seriously about making a commitment.

"Fine, but remember we only have like 2 hours okay? It's Ashley's birthday." Lynn told him. Ashley was a friend of hers, that Finn really didn't care for. Her friends were all just a little much. Definitely not like his friends. He smiled at the thought of seeing them all again.

They arrived at the bar, Puck first spotting Finn.

"Huddy!" He yelled out.

"Noah, geez, you're going to cause a scene!" Quinn said quietly, already embarrassed of her boyfriend.

Sam laughed, turning his head to see Finn walking over.

"Puck!" He gave him a huge hug.

"Quinny." Finn smiled, also giving her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Sam!" He greeted his friend also with a hug. He noticed Rachel wasn't there and wondered if she was avoiding him.

"Ahhem." He heard Lynn behind him clearing her throat, breaking him out of his thoughts.

"OH. Uh Guys, this is Lynn, my girlfriend." Finn said, grabbing a gentle hold of her hand and pulling her next to him. "Lynn, these are like, my best friends ever. That's Puck, his girlfriend Quinn, and that's Sam."

"I'm also Finn's friend, not just Puck's girlfriend." Quinn corrected, shooting a pointed look in Finn's direction. "It's nice to meet you Lynn."

Puck smirked, unable to hide his humor in this situation. "So let me get this straight. Lynn, Quinn, and Finn." He pointed to each one, saying their names, before turning to Sam. "This is just too good."

Finn rolled his eyes. "So, looks like you haven't changed at all."

Lynn looked confused, and almost annoyed. "Why is that so funny?"

"Um because it rhymes?" Puck said, shaking his head.

"Very funny, Puck." Finn said, letting out a small laugh to ease the brewing tension.

"Sit down you guys!" Sam said, making space in the booth for the two.

Finn sat down next to him with Lynn sitting next to him.

"I'm going to just apologize in advance for him." Quinn said to Lynn, pointing her thumb towards Puck. "It won't be the last time you get annoyed."

Lynn laughed a little. "It's okay. So...you guys have been friends since college?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah, we all went to Ohio State together. Finn, Puck and myself played football together."

"I was a cheerleader in college." Lynn said, nudging Finn. "How cute would it have been if I went to school with you and we dated?"

Finn laughed a little. "Yeah, that would've been totally awesome." Was it the right time to mention he was a total player in college?

Puck smirked. "Quinn was a cheerleader, that's how we met. Isn't that cute, Quinn?"

Quinn shot him a look, quite amused at his antics. "So cute, babe."

He grinned, leaning over to give her a quick kiss.

"Where's Rachel? I thought she was coming..." Finn asked.

"She texted a little while ago that rehearsals are running late but she should be here soon." Sam said, taking a look at his phone incase any additional texts came through.

Finn nodded a little. A part of him was both relieved that he'd see her soon, and anxious that he'd have both her and Lynn in the same room. "I can't believe she's been here for like a week, and I haven't even seen her yet!"

"Oh my God, but we went by her apartment earlier Finn, and it was so nice! She has like the best view of New York City." Quinn said.

"Who's Rachel?" Lynn asked.

"Oh, she also went to school with us. She's here for a show she's doing...which is why these guys are visiting." Finn said.

"We're also here to see you too, man!" Sam said.

"Yeah, I'm not going to be able to listen to these two girls talk about make up for a whole week." Puck said. "We've gotta find some bro time."

"Shut up, babe." Quinn said, rolling her eyes.

"Hey, Rachel's here!" Sam said, waving towards the entrance where he saw her walk in. She spotted him quickly and headed over to the table.

After rehearsals, she took a little extra time prepping herself for this dinner. She wore a cute summer dress, curling the ends of her hair, and just a smidge more makeup than she usually wore.

"Hey! I'm so sorry I'm late!" She said once she reached the table, smiling at everyone.

"Look who it is." Finn gave her a playful smile. "You come to my city and you can't even find time to see me?"

He gave a little nudge to Lynn to move from the booth so he could properly greet Rachel.

"I know, I'm the worst friend ever." She pouted. "I'm here for like, 3 months though!"

"Good." He smiled, giving her his usual bear hugs, lifting her up slightly from the ground.

The booth was full and Finn noticed it immediately. "Let me get a chair, I'll sit in it. Can you guys make room for Rach?" Finn said.

Sam scooted closer to Lynn, as Quinn and Puck also shifted in their seats so Rachel was now sitting next to Puck. She felt a pair of eyes staring directly at her, and she glanced over at the woman in front of her.

"Hi, I'm Rachel." She smiled. She was not surprised to see this petite blonde girl sitting in front of her. Were these always the type of girls Finn dated?

Lynn gave her a small smile. "I'm Lynn, Finn's girlfriend." she said.

Rachel gave her a polite nod and smile, and turned towards Finn who was now back at the table sitting in his chair.

"The gang is back together." Puck grinned. "It's been awhile since it's been all of us like this."

"Yeah so what have you guys been up to? Group chats move too fast for me sometimes." Finn said. He felt the tension rising on both ends, and figured his safest bet was to just get Puck and Sam talking.

"Same old, man." Puck shrugged. "Lima is the same old town it's always been."

"Well, Puck is now the assistant football coach at McKinley." Quinn said. "My store is doing well, but Ohio is really not the place for fashion..." Quinn said.

"You guys should really consider moving here." Finn said. "Seriously, it's so much better than Ohio."

"We've...thought about it." Quinn said, looking over at Puck.

"We're in the really early stage of thinking about it." Puck said, giving them all a 'don't get your hopes up' look.

"Well, I'm in LA. I'm like kind of modeling and singing, I've had some gigs...but mostly bartending." Sam said, taking a moment to think about his answer. "Yeah, mostly bartending." The group chuckled at his response.

"And Rach is just living the dream, huh?" Finn said, glancing over at her. She seemed to be...glowing. Her cheeks seemed to be more pink than usual. Maybe it was just an early summer glow.

She smiled. "Hey, when a girl knows what she want, she goes after it."

"We all know Rachel Berry gets whatever she wants." Quinn said, smiling towards Rachel.

"Hey, I am just persistent." Rachel laughed.

"So, what was Finn like in college?" Lynn interrupted, feeling somewhat left out of the conversation.

"How much time do you have?" Sam joked, thinking about all the stories he could tell.

"Dude, I was awesome." Finn smiled.

"Finn always threw the best parties." Puck said. "Well, we always threw the best parties." He grinned. "Dude, remember when the cops came?"

"Which time?" Finn laughed.

"Oh my God! I remember having to hide in Finn's closet that one time because I wasn't 21 yet." Rachel laughed.

"Yes! Or that time you guys threw the foam party? That house smelled so gross for weeks!" Quinn said, shaking her head in disgust.

"Dude, nothing can ever top the time we had that epic beer pong tournament. It felt like the whole school was part of it. Finn and I won." Sam grinned.

What was meant to be a conversation about Finn started by Lynn, the group continued done memory's lane recalling all of their favorite times hanging out with each other. She didn't understand how this could be the first time she was hearing about them, when clearly they were such good friends of his. She was also very not sure how she felt about Rachel. There was something off about her that she couldn't put her finger in. Either way, she didn't like it.

Sam, realizing Lynn may have felt a little left out, included her in the conversation. "You're probably sick of hearing about our college times." He said.

She faked a smile. "No! I totally get it. You guys haven't seen each other in awhile. Normally, Finn hangs out with some of his co-workers, and I've honestly just never heard of you guys before."

The group looked at her, Puck's face unable to hide his distaste of her response.

"Um, well Lynn, how did you and Finn meet?" Quinn asked, changing the subject.

Lynn smiled at Finn. "It's such a cute story, why don't you tell it?" she told him.

Finn smiled, slightly uncomfortable. "Uh, we met on the train. I kinda stumbled and lost my step, and dropped my iced coffee on her. I felt terrible!"

"He ended up taking me to buy a new shirt, and we just spent the whole day together." She smiled at Finn. "He said spilling his coffee was the best mistake he ever made."

"How cute." Puck said, with a smirk.

Rachel looked on, slightly amused at Finn's embarrassment. "Since when did you drink coffee? I thought you hated it..." she said.

"Finn drinks coffee like everyday!" Lynn interjected.

"Uh, at this point I think it's just the fact I need the caffeine." Finn said to Rachel, who nodded.

"Alright, so we need a game plan for the rest of this week." Puck said. "We've got 6 days left - Rachel's show is on Tuesday, and we leave on Wednesday. I need to go to the beach - like a real one, not that fake shit in Ohio. I need to go to Central Park and I need to see some hipsters." he said.

Finn laughed. "Dude we can do all of those things. I'm off the rest of this week. We can do all the touristy shit, and then I can show you the real New York."

"Yes!" Sam said. "That's what I'm talkin' about!"

"You took off the whole week? I thought we were saving days to go on vacation?" Lynn interrupted.

"I've got extra days." Finn shrugged. "Don't worry."

There was an awkward silence for a few moments before the waitress came along to take their orders. Finn tried his best to divide his time between Lynn and the rest of his friends, but it was hard. He kind've almost wished he didn't bring her - he didn't feel like he could be himself.

* * *

When dinner was over, the group headed to a bar that was next door.

Once walking out of the restaurant, Finn turned to Lynn.

"Babe, if you want to go hang out with Ashley, that's totally cool. I think I'm gonna stay back with my friends." Finn told her.

"Are you kidding, Finn?" Lynn said. "It's Ashley's birthday!"

"She'll understand..plus she's your friend, not mine really." Finn shrugged. "My friends are in town for just a week, I just want to hang out with them." he said. He noticed the rest of the group watching them and sighed a little.

"Look let me get you a cab..." He said, resting his hand on the small of her back, walking her to the end of the street.

Lynn sighed, giving up and also not wanting to make a scene the first time she meets his "best friends". "Fine, I get it. But you owe me, Finn." she told him.

"I know babe, I'll make it up to you." He gave her his puppy dog eyes that she just couldn't resist. A small smile played onto her lips.

"You better."

He smiled down at her before sticking his hand out to hail a cab. He opened the door for her and gave her a quick kiss.

"Call me later Finn."

He nodded, closing the door behind her.

He watched the taxi pull off and he let out a sigh.

Freedom.

* * *

Finn walked back to the bar where he found his friends already inside. Sam and Puck were at the bar, and Rachel was sitting at a tall bar table. He didn't see Quinn, but assumed she was in the bathroom or something.

"Just you, man?" Sam said and Finn nodded.

"About fuckin' time. Dude, she's weird. What's with the fuckin' stick up her ass?" Puck said.

Finn laughed a little. "She's not usually like that..." But was she, though? He shook his head a little, looking in Rachel's direction.

"Whatever you say man, I'm gonna get us some drinks." Puck told him, before turning towards the bartender.

Finn nodded, and walked over to where Rachel was sitting. "Hey." He said softly.

She glanced up at him, responding in the same tone. "Hey."

"So uh...this is awkward, huh?" He asked.

She laughed a little. "It's uh..more than awkward."

"Rach..."

"Finn..."

They both spoke at the same time. They shared a look and laughed. "You first." he said.

She smiled before continuing. "I think maybe we need to cool it off, you know? I'll be here for 3 months, we can obviously hang out as much as we want, but I don't want it to be weird with you having a girlfriend or whatever..."

"Wait, really?" Finn said, kind of shocked. Here he was thinking, how the heck was he going to see her without Lynn knowing. They've been doing this for years! All through out college - regardless if they were in relationships. Come to think of it, she was never really in a serious relationship being so career driven. This was second nature to their friendship.

"Yeah...why? What were you going to say?" she asked.

Finn shook his head. "Uh, the same thing! I totally agree with you. We should just be friends." he said.

She nodded and smiled at him, although somewhat sadly. "Right. Just Friends."

Finn nodded, repeating the words one more time. "Just Friends."


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for the reviews everyone! As I mentioned, this idea was inspired by the Netflix show. There are some parts that may be similar and some (most) that is completely unique to this story and the characters. I am really enjoying writing it so far and I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

* * *

Finn woke up to the sound of the doorbell. He groaned before throwing the covers off the bed, getting up. He thought it might be Puck or Sam, waking him up obnoxiously early, ready to get the day started. He pressed the buzzer, not bothering to ask who. A few moments later, the doorbell rang. He opened the door wide only to see Lynn.

"Uh, hey? What are you doing here so early?" he asked. He looked at the time to ensure he wasn't crazy. Yeah, it was only 7:00 am.

"Is that any way to greet your girlfriend?" she said, raising her eyebrow. She lifted her hands up to show the bag of what he presumed to be donuts, and a hot coffee in her other hand. "I got you breakfast, I thought maybe you'd need it after your night out with your friends." she said. Was it possible to feel guilty this early in the morning?

"Thanks babe." He lit up at the sight of the breakfast, leaning down to give her a quick kiss.

"Well aren't you going to invite me in?" she said.

"Oh, yeah. Come in." He motioned, moving away from the door to give her space.

He took the coffee from her hand, immediately taking a sip. "Don't you have work? Isn't that, like on the other side of the city?"

"Yes, but I knew we weren't going to see each other since you'll be busy with your friends...I just wanted to see you." she shrugged. She looked around the apartment. "Did you stay here alone last night?"

"Um, yeah?" he said, sitting down on the couch next to her. "Why?"

She shrugged. "I thought maybe your friends might have crashed or something."

"Nah, they're staying at a hotel. I'm gonna meet them soon...I should probably start getting ready." He said, hoping she'd either get to the point of what she really wants to say. She never just dropped by before work.

"Well, can I stay over tonight?" she asked, scooting closer to him.

"I'll be gone pretty late, I'm not sure what time I'll be back...I can text you if it's not too late." He told her.

"You know, if you gave me a key, I could probably just hang out here and wait for you to get back." She said innocently.

"Oh, is that so?" he gave her a small smile, but on the inside, he may have been freaking out.

She smiled, leaning in to kiss him. "That is so. Then, I wouldn't need to wake you up so early. I could surprise you in different ways..." Her hand traveled up to his crotch.

"Haha, whoa. Someone's in a mood..." he chuckled, leaning down to kiss her again.

Their kisses were starting to get a bit hotter when Finn's phone rang. Why the hell did people think he was awake this early on his day off?

"Ugh, don't answer it." she mumbled through the kisses.

"It might be my friends..." He pulled away, jumping up to get his phone.

"I really hope you get that excited when I call you." she said under her breath, watching him answer the phone.

"Hey, Morning Rach." He said into the phone.

"Finn, you're awake?" Rachel said, surprised.

"Uh, apparently." He laughed. "That's why I'm answering the phone, duh. Wait...why would you call me if you didn't think I'd be awake?"

"I thought for some reason you might still be sleeping and then I'd just text you...but anyway, did you already eat breakfast? I thought maybe you'd let me buy you breakfast, make up for being radio silent the past few days I was here and didn't tell you..." she said.

He looked at the bag of donuts sitting on the counter, which he could honestly say he didn't eat yet. "That sounds great, Rach. I haven't. Where's your apartment?"

"I'm on 59th and 5th Ave. Are you far from here?" she asked.

"No." He smiled softly. "I'm on 68th and Columbus. Why don't I meet you there? It'll take me like, 20 minutes."

"Sounds good. I'll text you the full address." she told him.

"See you soon, Rach."

He hung up the phone, the smile still on his face. He turned around to see Lynn staring intently at him.

"That was Rachel, I've got to go meet her for breakfast." He told her.

"Don't you mean 'Rach'? And I just got you breakfast." Lynn said.

"Well that is her name...and I'm really happy that you did. I'll definitely eat it later!" Finn said.

"Is it just the two of you? Where are your other friends?" she asked.

"They're going to meet us there." He lied. Well, he didn't really know if it was a lie. He assumed their other friends would meet up with them at some point, since they did plan to spend the day together. He knew Rachel well enough to know this would just be the two of them.

She seemed to accept the answer, which was a relief to Finn. He headed into his bedroom to grab his towel for a quick shower.

"She's pretty." Lynn said.

"What? Who?" Finn called out from the bedroom.

"Rachel. She's really pretty. Is she single?" she asked.

"Um...I guess she's single." Finn shrugged, coming out of his room. "Why do you ask?"

"Just curious." she said. "Has she ever dated one of you guys?"

"Huh?" Finn asked, pretending he didn't really hear the question.

"Well it seems like the two of you have a history, you just looked closer to her than the others." She said, staring at him.

"What gave you that idea?" Finn asked. He couldn't recall showing Rachel more attention. In fact, he tried to do the complete opposite.

Lynn shrugged. "Just an observation. You didn't answer my question..."

"Yeah, I mean we dated in college. It was short-lived. We were freshmen..." Finn said. "She dated Sam, too. Briefly..."

Lynn gave him a disgusted face. "She dated both of you? Sounds a little whorish."

"She dated Sam briefly before we met. I didn't know him either. There's nothing wrong with that." Finn shrugged. "We've all stayed really good friends, obviously..."

"How long did you date? Who ended it?" She asked.

"It is way too early for this interrogation, babe." Finn chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. "We dated for like, a semester...we just thought we were better as friends." Plus, it was hard to say who ended it...since it never really did.

"Maybe I should hook her up with someone." Lynn said. "After all, she'll be here for 3 months right? She can't expect to spend all that time with, well, you. Her ex boyfriend."

"Who knows? Maybe she is seeing someone." Finn said, not liking the thought of seeing Rachel on a date with someone. They've lived in separate states for 8 years and that's really just how he preferred it. It was easier.

"Well find out! I have someone that I think would be into her." Lynn said.

Finn nodded. "Okay...well I'm gonna go shower and get ready to meet them. Don't you have to head to work?"

"Ugh, yes. I'm going." She stood up from the couch. He walked her to the door, giving her another kiss before she left.

He jumped into the shower and sighed. The range of emotions hitting his body this early in the morning was out of control.

* * *

Finn arrived at Rachel's apartment less than 40 minutes later. It took him longer than expected to get ready, and maybe he stopped for a bite or two of those donuts.

"Hey Finn." She smiled, letting him into the apartment. She was still in her robe, but it looked like she already did her hair and put on some light makeup. He had a feeling she wouldn't be ready.

He walked in, taking a look around. For a New York studio apartment, this was pretty damn spacious. The huge windows let in all of the natural sunlight, with views of Central Park in front of him.

He whistled before speaking. "This is a fancy apartment, Rach."

"I know, right? I don't know what my management did or who messed up - but I could not picture a better place to stay for three months." She smiled.

He sat down on her bed, bouncing up and down a little, testing it's softness. "This looks comfy."

She turned to face him, sitting there, looking all smug on her bed.

"Ugh, God. Don't do that." She shook her head at him.

"What?" He said innocently. "Don't do what?"

"Don't sit there on my bed, looking all cute, telling me how comfortable the bed is. I _know_ what you're thinking." she said, putting her hands on her hips.

Finn laughed. "What do you want me to do, Rach? I can't look at a bed, with you standing there less than 5 feet in front of me, probably completely naked under that robe, and _not_ think those thoughts."

"Uh huh." she said, biting her lip. "And you just so happen to be wearing my favorite color on you?"

He looked down at his midnight blue button down shirt and laughed again. Did he know that she liked him in this color? Of course. Did he do it on purpose? Maybe.

"That's just an accident, I swear! I'm not trying to tempt you, Rachel. Just friends, right?" he said, looking at her.

She nodded a little, almost forcing herself to do it. "Right."

She grabbed her outfit out of the closet. "I'm going to change."

"You do remember I've seen you naked hundreds of time right?" Finn teased her.

"Not anymore!" she teased back, heading into the bathroom.

He groaned a little at the thought. He liked how comfortable their relationship was. She was never shy about her body, which in his eyes, was basically perfect. He couldn't help but think about the numerous times he explored every inch of it. So why did it have to change?

She walked out of the bathroom in an off the shoulder top that was tucked into a loose flowing maxi skirt.

"Ready?" she said, reaching for her bag, making sure she had all of the essentials.

Finn took a moment to relax his thoughts, and seeing her looking so naturally beautiful did not help. "Yep, I'm ready."

He followed her out of the apartment, brushing against her body as he waited for her to lock the door.

Rachel took all she had in her to not turn around and throw herself at him. She locked the door and turned towards him. His facial expression mirroring hers.

"Let's go, then." She smiled.

* * *

Once Rachel and Finn had breakfast and met up with the rest of their friends, it felt like barely anytime had passed from their college years. The group roamed around the city, until deciding they were too hungry to do more sightseeing. They ended up in Madison Square Park, where Shake Shack was conveniently located. The park itself was on Quinn's wish list to visit - as many romantic comedies filmed in New York City had a scene filmed here. The boys were happy if not only because Shake Shack was a central attraction to this park as well. The boys went to order food, while Rachel and Quinn found a table.

"So what are you going to tell Finn?" Quinn asked Rachel. Quinn knew about her and Finn's little arrangement - but only through Rachel. She knew about his recent trip to Chicago and was naturally quite curious about how things would work out with the two living in the same city.

"I already told him we should probably just stop...he seemed more than fine, honestly." Rachel sighed.

"So why don't you seem relieved? Happy, even?" Quinn studied her face.

Rachel looked at Quinn, surprise on her face. "I am relieved!"

"Uh huh. You're not really fooling anyone, Rach." Quinn said. "You know, you both could actually talk about how you feel."

"He has a girlfriend, Quinn." Rachel said.

"That's never really stopped you before..." Quinn said and Rachel shot her another look.

"Sorry!" Quinn said. "Too much truth? You know I'm only saying these things because I love you. In a few days, the rest of us won't be here. I want to make sure you're going to be okay."

"I know, I know. When you say it out loud though, I kind've feel like a bad person." Rachel said. "But it's done anyway. We're done." She said, nodding her head, as it helped reaffirm the decision.

The boys returned to the table with burgers, fries and drinks.

"This is so crazy they sell alcohol out in public like this." Puck said. He handed the girls their glass of wine, while each guy already grabbed their beer.

"Wine, burgers and fries?" Quinn said. "Wow."

Finn sat next to Rachel, placing her food for her in front of her. "Mushroom burger, fries, and rosé for the broadway star."

"Oh thanks!" Rachel smiled, picking up a fry from her plate to eat. He gave her a wink before turning to his plate.

"Oh my god, this is heaven in my mouth." Sam said, devouring his sandwich.

"The best in the city!" Finn said, mouth full of food.

"What were you girls talking about?" Puck asked.

"Oh nothing." Quinn said. "Just seeing how Rachel was going to spend her time here the next few months."

"Well with me, duh." Finn said, shaking his head.

Quinn shot Rachel a knowing look that luckily no one else saw.

"I'm jealous, man. You guys getting to hang out again - while the rest of us are in fuckin Ohio and LA." Puck said, stuffing some fries in his mouth.

"Well I don't actually know how much free time I'll have, I'll be busy with the show most of the time! I have like one day off a week. Most times I'm doing two shows a day..." Rachel said, causing Finn to look over at her.

"You don't want to hang out with me?" He feigned offense.

"That's not what I said." She playfully swatted his arm. "But I'll be busy! Unless you want to come by my shows."

"Can I hang out backstage?" He raised his eyebrow. "I don't know how many times I can see the show..."

"First, you know every one of my performances is a unique experience and you should be so lucky that you get to witness each one." She said.

"That's the Rachel Berry I know." Sam laughed. "I wish I could stay longer."

Finn smirked at Rachel, her cockiness was always one of her most attractive features to him. He said nothing in return, but the look she gave back to him said she knew.

"You totally can, dude. Can't you like - serve drinks anywhere?" Puck asked.

"I guess." he said, not really convinced. "I don't know if New York really gets my vibe though."

"You're a hot guy serving drinks, I think they'll get it." Quinn told him.

"Uh, I'm right here Quinn." Puck said in jealousy, causing the table to laugh at him.

"And you're the hottest one here." She leaned over to kiss his cheek. He smiled, satisfied with the answer.

"Speaking of hot, what's your girl up to Finn?" Sam asked.

Finn shrugged. "She's at work or something."

"Wow I hope my boyfriend speaks about me with such love." Quinn joked. Rachel continued snacking on her fries, not having much to contribute to this conversation. As her parents would say, if you had nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all.

"What?" Finn said. "She's at work! Is there a better way to say that?"

"Well what's your plan with her man?" Puck asked.

"Oh! Excuse me - the show is calling." Rachel said, getting up from the table. Luckily for her, her phone really was ringing and it seemed to come at just the perfect part of the conversation. The last thing she needed was to here him talk about how in love he was.

Finn glanced at her from the corner of his eye but quickly focused his attention on Puck.

"I don't know. She wants me to give her a key to the apartment...it just seems a little too fast. Like it's getting super serious." Finn said.

"She seemed nice enough. Don't you want something serious?" Quinn asked.

He pursed his lips together in thought. "Maybe. I'm not sure."

"Well she seems super into you, dude." Sam said.

"Maybe he's not ready to settle down yet. Don't pressure my boy." Puck said, causing Quinn to roll her eyes.

"What?" Puck said. "Domestic life is great, don't get me wrong. But Finn has other shit he's gotta take care of before he settles down. Finn, what happened anyway with that promotion you were going after?" Puck said, turning his attention to Finn.

"That didn't go anywhere." Finn shook his head. "My boss didn't think I had enough experience yet for a VP position yet. I think it's bullshit."

"I don't even know why you ended up in a fucking job that requires you to wear a tie." Puck said.

"Babe, that's every professional job." Quinn interrupted.

"Uh not my job. And not Sam's either!" Puck said, Sam nodding along in agreement.

Finn sighed. "I feel like I need to do more with my life, you know?"

Everyone nodded, almost as if they were contemplating their own lives.

"Whatever happened with your app idea?" Sam asked. "Didn't you and Puck come up with something? And it just like never went anywhere."

Finn looked over at Sam, realization hitting his face. "Oh shit. I forgot about that. That app was a really good idea!" Finn said.

Puck looked thoughtfully at him. "It was. We should really revisit that idea."

Finn nodded. "I'm serious. I think I need to quit my job. I really want to do something I'm passionate about and this just isn't it anymore."

Quinn looked back and forth between the guys and she could see the wheels spinning in their head.

"Dude I've been telling you for so long now that you and I need to put our brains together and do some shit. This is our chance!" Puck said, getting more excited by the moment.

"You think?" Finn asked.

"Uh, yeah. And we're actually here in person together. Fuck seeing New York, we need to get to work on this." Puck said.

"Well, we could just go back to my place?" Finn said, also getting a bit more excited. "Yeah. I'm serious. Let's do this!"

Puck turned to Quinn, not saying anything, but simply waiting for approval.

"What are you looking at me for? You guys can go. I need some girl time with Rachel anyway." She said.

Puck smiled and leaned over to give her a kiss. "I love you, babe."

"Uhh what about me?" Sam said.

Finn and Puck looked at each other before turning to Sam.

"You can come." Finn said. Sam grinned, happy to be included.

"Tell Rach sorry we had to run! We'll see you guys later." Finn said to Quinn before the three guys took off.

Quinn watched them walk off, shaking her head. Rachel returned moments later looking at the empty table.

"Where did everyone go?" She asked.

Quinn shrugged. "They have some guy things to do. Who cares! Now we can get to the good stuff. Let's go shopping!" Quinn smiled.

Rachel laughed and soon the two women were strolling down 5th avenue.

* * *

Opening night of the show went off without a hitch. Rachel was beyond happy that there no wardrobe malfunctions and that her bestest friends in the world were able to see her perform in what she believed to be the best city in the world. Her life was nearly perfect at this point. She couldn't quite understand, then, how she ended up in the position she's currently in.

Somehow, Finn was able to convince her to go on a double date. Not just any double date, but a blind date with one of Lynn's friends. She sat at the table across from Finn and Lynn, with Dave sitting next to her. Dave was quite attractive, but for a first date being a blind double date, it was uncomfortable.

Rachel played with the stem of her wine glass as she somewhat listened to Lynn go on about how much she loved New York. "So Rachel." Lynn said. "Dave was also in broadway."

"Oh?" Rachel said, turning towards Dave.

"Well, if you count a high school musical as broadway, then sure." He smiled. "I played Tony in West Side Story."

"I was Maria in mine." Rachel said. "Do you still like to perform?"

"I do some things at the local theater here and there, but my main job is as a Music teacher. I work with Lynn at York Prep." Dave said. _Oh, so Lynn's a teacher._ She shook her head, realizing she should be more focused on Dave rather than Lynn. It didn't help that Finn's narrowing eyes in on her, a fixed expression on his face that she just couldn't read.

"Didn't you also get promoted to Head of the Arts department?" Lynn mentioned.

Dave smiled shyly. "Uh, yeah. I did."

Rachel smiled. "That's really awesome. If you're interested in any tips on how to get students interested in the arts, I have a few ideas."

"That actually sounds pretty great." Dave looked over at her.

"Nice job, Dave. Well, I just got a promotion too, actually." Finn said. The table turned their direction from Dave to Finn.

"Babe, you got the promotion?" Lynn said excitedly.

"Uh, yeah." Finn said. "It's a good opportunity for me, so I accepted it." he said, looking at the table.

"FINN! That's a Vice President position! That is so big!" Lynn squealed.

"Vice President?" Rachel said, taken aback for a second. "Wow, Finn. That's really, really great."

Finn gave her a small smile. "Thanks, Rach. The best part is I could work from anywhere. I don't even technically need to be in New York."

She shared his smile, but looked curiously at him. Why did he just say that? What was Finn implying?

"We HAVE to celebrate!" Lynn said, waving down the waitress, ordering a bottle of champagne for the table.

"To Dave and my Finny, for their promotions!" Lynn smiled, once they all had a glass of champagne. "Vice President! This is SO huge!"

Rachel quickly drank her champagne, hoping the bubbles would help drown out Lynn's voice, which seemed to be increasing in pitch every time she spoke.

* * *

As Quinn, Puck, and Sam's time in the city were winding down, Finn held a dinner on his rooftop the night before they were leaving. His apartment building had nearly 30 floors, so the view from the roof was pretty amazing on a Summer night.

"This food all looks so good, Finn!" Quinn said.

"Courtesy of the Spanish restaurant down the street." Finn responded sheepishly. "They do a great delivery."

They sat around the table eating dinner, Lynn included. There was a somewhat solemn feeling in the air as the friends knew they probably would not be together like this again until Christmas.

"Who knows where I'll be after New York." Rachel said. "Maybe there will be a huge need in Ohio, and we will do our show there." she joked.

"Ugh, I wish!" Quinn said. "Why can't you all just quit your jobs and come live with us?" she pouted.

Puck laughed, putting his arm around his girlfriend. "Hey, you never know. Right Finn?" he grinned.

Finn laughed, not ready to share that news yet.

"Oh please. Finn will never go back to Ohio." Lynn said, shaking her head. "He just accepted a VP position! His life here is set." She said.

"What?" Sam said. "I thought he didn't get the VP job."

"Umm..." Finn said, as the attention turned towards him.

"Yeah, he didn't get the job, so he said fuck that. Him and I going into business together and we are going to build the best fucking app you've ever seen. You know how football coaches always have their playbooks? We're gonna digitize it and make that shit so legit that they won't ever need to use pen and paper again. Our app is helping coaches keep their plays together and saving the environment from using paper!" Puck said.

"What?" Lynn said, turning to Finn. "I thought you said you got the promotion."

Rachel watched on, quietly.

"I didn't say I got _that_ promotion. THIS is so much better than that position I was going for. Puck and I have a really great idea, and I think I'm gonna pursue that...full-time." Finn said.

Lynn's face looked like it was about to explode. "You're quitting your job?"

"I don't know yet. Maybe I am...I just want to see where this goes first." Finn said.

"I...I don't even know what I'm hearing right now." Lynn shook her head.

"Um, I think I'm going to get another bottle of wine downstairs. I'll be right back." Rachel said, getting up from the table.

"I'll help you. I locked my apartment door." Finn said, getting up quickly, following her.

Lynn just looked ahead at the empty space in front of her, and it was pretty clear to everyone in front of her that she was pissed.

"You okay, Lynn?" Puck asked, breaking the silence.

"No. I just don't understand why he's considering doing this. I just feel like I have no idea who he is anymore." Lynn said. "Honestly, ever since you guys got here, our relationship has been pretty shitty."

Quinn looked at Sam and Puck before looking at Lynn. Who was this girl and why on earth did Finn have her around? "Maybe you just have a shitty relationship."

Puck gave Quinn a look as she shrugged, taking a sip of her wine.

* * *

Finn and Rachel re-entered the building using the staircase at the side of the roof. They took the elevator in silence and entered his apartment.

Finn walked into the kitchen, opening the cabinet where he stored his wine.

"What are you doing, Finn?" Rachel said, looking at him.

"Um...grabbing some wine?" Finn said, reaching for a bottle of wine.

"Why did you say you accepted that position the other night? Why did you lie?" Rachel asked.

"I don't know! Dave was talking about being promoted and technically, I think this is a promotion." Finn said, grabbing the bottle and setting it down on the counter.

"That doesn't seem right, Finn. That's completely different and you know it. What..were you trying to impress me?" she asked.

"What? Why would you say that? How can you even think that?" Finn said.

She stared at him, raising her eyebrow.

"Okay, yes, fine! I was trying to impress you. I don't know why I said it, I just did. I didn't like how impressed you looked by that fuckin' music teacher, and I feel like what I'm doing is much cooler and I just felt like you needed to also know that." He shrugged, looking at her, feeling very confident in his argument.

"Finn!" Rachel said. "I don't even understand what's going through your head right now!"

Finn closed the space between them, grabbing her face in his hands, and kissed her, long and hard.

"That." He said, once they pulled away. "That's what's going through my head right now."

Rachel stared up at him, her lips still slightly red from the pressure of his lips on hers. Without any words said, she grabbed his face, kissing him again with full intensity.


End file.
